The Canal

This is definitely a more familiar sort of slow-paced, atmospheric horror, but like so many of its kind, when done right they really work. This isn't a slam dunk or anything, but it's pretty effective for what it is. If you really don't overthink everything, you sort of know everything that is going on, but it doesn't matter. It has some truly strong performances here, and the atmosphere allows for some really creepy scenes to ensue. The climax could use from even more outlandish material, but as it is it makes its point and is pretty effective. For horror fans this is recommended, and for everyone else, well, look as to what types of films you like.

Independent film The Canal smartly produces a slow-paced psychological horror that interesting imagines a new take on the haunting genre.

Ivan Kavanagh is the brainchild behind this original and brilliantly conceived film. The Canal is more atmospheric than most horror films currently being produced and very psychological with a horrific twist. The slow paced groundwork is eerie and unsettling but expertly done. The characters and smart and savvy in trying discern reality from imagination, or worse, supernatural occurrences.

The beginning scenes of The Canal are deliberately jumpy, adding to the confusion and anxiety the main character David experiences. A bit more clarity would have helped the film viewers experience the intended disorientation while avoiding pure confusion. I personally think the film was just a tad too slow in the beginning and Kavanagh will lose impatient movie watchers unsure of whether the investment will be worth it.

Without spoiling the ending, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it had me squirming and gasping. The Canal is a slow burn, with Kavanagh pacing the film so audience members are psychologically bewildered to savor the conclusive reveal.

For more FULL reviews of RECENT releases, please check out our website.

Without wanting to sound too much like a narcissist, "The Canal" is the type of ambitious, well-intended, and aspiringly convoluted psychological thriller that puts a lot of energy & effort into misleading the viewer... only to end exactly like you presumed since the beginning already. Is the protagonist sane or insane? Is the house haunted or is it historically just a bad neighborhood to live? Do ghosts manifest themselves on video or is David seeing things that aren't there? Is writer/director Ivan Kavanagh stealing ideas from "Sinister"? Well, that's a definite yes.

I want to be gentle on "The Canal", but it just isn't good enough. I appreciate how Kavanagh is obsessed with focusing our attention (or trying to, at least) on the lead character's mental unbalance and heartbroken spirit. I also reckon that Rupert Evans puts down a truly strong performance as David the derailed film-archivist. Well heck, for one of the first times ever, I wasn't even annoyed by the performance of a 5-year-old kid or his mother with an impossible-to-disguise Dutch accent. Let's take it even one step further: the atmosphere is quite often very ominous, the ancient video footage of the 1902 murders is creepy, and the dramatic themes (like marriage failure) feel painfully real. In short, Kavangh and his crew don't do many things wrong. It's just that, when it's finished, the sentiments that prevail are obviousness and "been-there-seen-that".

Not overly inspired, but worthy of a watch. It meanders between supernatural and psychosis. Nothing wrong with any one aspect but just seems like it never really gripped me enough to really enjoy.

The family man David (Rupert Evans) and his pregnant wife Alice (Hannah Hoekstra) buy an old house nearby a canal to raise a family of their own. Five years later, their son Billy is the pride and joy of the family. David works archiving and editing films for his partner and friend Claire (Antonia Campbell-Hughes). When she gives a reel of a 1902 footage to work, David learns that his house was the place of a violent murder. This discover haunts David that sees a stranger inside his house threatening his son. When he finds that Alice is cheating on him with her client Alex (Carl Shaaban), David sees the stranger killing Alice and becomes obsessed to find who the suspect might be. Meanwhile he becomes the prime suspect of the police with his disturbed attitudes.

"The Canal" is an ambiguous horror movie with the story of a man that has a breakdown after learning that his home was the place of a brutal murder in 1902 and that his beloved wife is cheating on him. The story of haunting, obsession and madness has a confused screenplay and slow pace. But the acting and the dark cinematography make worthwhile watching this movie with low expectation and have a surprise. The creepy conclusion is the ambiguity of the story. Was David really insane? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Canal" ("The Canal")